Yahoo SportNaomi Osaka splits with longtime coach ahead of return, U.S. Open
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- Naomi OsakaJapanese tennis player
Naomi Osaka and longtime coach Wim Fissette officially split on Wednesday.
Fissette, who first started working with Osaka in 2019, made the announcement on Instagram.
โIt has been a privilege to coach Naomi since 2019 and see her grow into the champion she has become,โ he wrote. โShe has inspired a whole new generation to fall in love with the game & to speak up for what they believe in and itโs been incredible to play a part in that journey.
โThank you Naomi Osaka. I wish you all the best and looking forward to my next chapter.โ
Itโs unclear what led to the split.
Fissette first started coaching Osaka before the 2020 season, and he helped her win at the U.S. Open in 2020 and the Australian Open in 2021. Heโs worked with several other big stars in the sport, including Victoria Azarenka, Simona Halep and more.
Osaka, hasnโt played since she was knocked out of the French Open in the first round earlier this summer. The 24-year-old has played sparingly since she first withdrew from the French Open last year, and she didnโt play at Wimbledon due to an Achilles injury.
Osaka is expected to return for the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, California, in August, which will mark her first competition since May 23. That tournament is where Osaka made her WTA main-draw debut in 2014, and will also feature Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, Ons Jabeur, Coco Gauff and more.
Perhaps more notably, however, the tournament will kick off about a month before the U.S. Open in New York.
While she doesnโt have a coach at the moment, it sounds like Osaka is gearing back up to finish out the season.
